Am I too fast to run Distance races?

Um, no. You are too slow. Obviously.

Well you kinda need to tel us how "fast" you are at those races!!!!

Obviously, you're waaaaaay too slow. Geez, I'm really slow compared to the average letsrun poster (read: liar). But running an 8 minute mile is pretty easy even to me.

You definitely aren't too fast for an 8k. If you were fast at 8k's you'd be a good 8k runner. If you were too fast you be the best 8k runner.

The ability to run distance (and any other kind of running) is based on many things - two of which are (1) talent and (2) training. You have little/no distance training. Train some, develop what distance talent you may or may not have, then make a call.

You may not be very good at 8k's after training (limited distance talent) and may be more inclined/able to succeed in sprints/mid-D (high sprint talent plus many years of dedicated training).

There are a lot of ways to term and say what I just said but essentially you have to run distance for a while before deciding whether or not it is for you or not for you. Also your coaches input would be needed on whether it’s worthwhile for you or not. You both may decide that your time is more effectively spent continuing your sprinting development.

My opinion is that this is not a decision to be made by people unknowledgeable of you; this is a decision for you and your coach to make together. I am preaching to the choir because you are a very successful athlete and have come close to mastering these decision making qualities.

I find it odd that your coach would try to turn you into an 800m runner your first year in college after being a "double state champion" in the 200 and 400. Unless you were state champ against very weak competition (like say the 1A division in North Dakota), and he doesn't think you have the speed to be a competitive sprinter at the collegiate level. Not only that, but you apparently have very little aerobic aptitude as evidenced by your inability to even complete a 5 mile race at 8min pace without walking. So why does he think you'd be a better mid-distance runner than a sprinter? So much so that he doesn't even want to give you one season to see how you'd be as a 200/400m guy, and insists you run XC your first year in? Sounds fishy. You must be trolling..

But if there is any truth to your story, the simple answer is NO, you are not "too fast" for distance running. You are too out of shape for distance running. Alot of the top 800/1500 runners in college can run the 400 in 46-48 seconds. They aren't slow. They're just man enough to put in the miles and endure more pain. So, stop being a pussy and you might make a good 800m runner one day.

Just admit it, you are too lazy. No one cares if you were the South Dakota 200/400 1-A State Champion - and 25.3 / 54.2 isn't that fast.

Why not frame the question differently? If you are going to be a top flight 400 meter runner, virtually all top flight 400 meter runners regularly run 4 to 5 mile runs at a reasonable pace, and do so rather easily. So it strikes me that you ought to set upon a serious training regimen that includes some moderate distance running, irrespective of any plans to move to the 800. This from one of those college middle distance runners that could run a shade under 48.

Ditch your coach and try to get into Baylor instead.

Are you going to be doing any speed work, plyos, or strength training before the track season? There is nothing wrong with putting in some XC miles as part of your 400m training, but hopefully not to the extent that you're training mirrors that of your distance runner teammates.

I know you all like giving this guy a hard time, but it's a legitimate question and you know it. Ever hear of fast twitch muscle fibers? It is definitely possible to be "too fast" for distance races.

With that said, I'm guessing his coach has a reason for this. Either the guy has an 800 runner's build, or his 400 is comparatively faster than his 200, or he's not quite fast enough to cut it with the rest of the collegiate sprinters on the team so his coach is bumping him up. Whatever the case, it sounds like he will need more endurance.

It is possible to be too fast (being all fast-twitch), but you won't know until you give it an honest effort.

I think your coach might be onto something with the 800m idea. But you might want to tell him he's an idiot for having you run 8K's. If he ever gets you to where you can run a decent 8K, he will have destroyed your sprinting ability and the very reason you could have been good at 800m will have been lost. Somehow I just doubt whether Alberto Juantorena every ran cross country. Skip the cross country crap and work on the 800m. As a sprinter type, you have to approach it from the short (sprint) end.

I think it's also possible that your cross country team really sucks and the guy is just using the 800 excuse to recruit a few more bodies.

i'm an old, lazy overweight 40 year old. i finally decided to start running last year (after 20 years of zero exercise) and i could run 4 miles at 8:00 pace about a month after starting. so you are either...

1) lazy

2) disabled

or

3) a troll

I am a well-known ultrarunner and have never run sprints before this year. My coach has this grand idea of turning me into a 200/400 runner. I have really been struggling with running the whole lap without stopping for a pizza and cup of coffee. Seriously I have been trying to speed up and can run 200 meters in about 45 seconds. Which others at the track think is a joke. In recent years I have run 300 miles and won at Badwater. So am I just too much of an endurance stud to run sprints?

Agree that what is good at HS level is not good at college level in many cases. 50-52 sec 400m guys do not make relay squads at many eolleges. Coaches heve no real need for 10 guys on the 400 depth chart. Early season XC is a great conditioner for all runners and some think it's fun.

If your 400 is better than the 200 it makes sense for coach to give some distance work and get some miles under your belt. Afterall he is the coach and might know something. Try it,you'll like it.

In high school I was double state champion in 200/400...

OKaaaaaaaaaaa.... so why is such a sprint talent even wasting his time on "distance"?

I call troll.

Hey, look on the bright side. The 400m runners that were forced to run XC at my university swept up all the XC team weightlifting records.

Chantelle Price, 3rd all-time HS 800 runner is running XC and may win state (PA, not a small state) in this, her senior year. She has pretty good 400 speed (she goes out sub-60 for the first 400).

Maybe your coach thinks

a) your performance at 400 does not match your 200 and you are definitely not a 'speed' guy of the 100m variety, so endurance is lacking;

and/or

b) you have never run distance of ANY sort before and who knows what you can do in the 800 unless you try it (in addition, they still run the 600 indoors and he might want to see how you can do there). He may have found that good athletes usually go 'short' because they are the glamor events and pushing the up side is useful. In HS our star 200/400/LJ guy ran XC for conditioning in the fall. This was way back in the early- mid-60s and he ran Junior-year marks of 48.4/440, 22 220, was best in the league in the 180 hurdles, and 23'6" in the LJ. He ran the 880 the first race of the track season (February/L.A. area) and ran 1:57.0 on a dirt track despite doing the first lap in 54.0 seconds

Finally, if you are just a sprinter there are possibly some restrictions on fall training but doing XC eases those constraints. It also makes it more feasible to recover between races when doing 400 and 4x400 (and maybe a 200) in the same meet. It might also improve your running efficiency and provide more secondary muscle strength which can help avoid sprinting injuries.

Virtual Trainer wrote:

Just admit it, you are too lazy. No one cares if you were the South Dakota 200/400 1-A State Champion - and 25.3 / 54.2 isn't that fast.

Only because I feel like an ass today, but 21.8 and 49.8 were South Dakota 1A winners.

Fat Boy wrote:

I think your coach might be onto something with the 800m idea. But you might want to tell him he's an idiot for having you run 8K's. If he ever gets you to where you can run a decent 8K, he will have destroyed your sprinting ability and the very reason you could have been good at 800m will have been lost. Somehow I just doubt whether Alberto Juantorena every ran cross country. Skip the cross country crap and work on the 800m. As a sprinter type, you have to approach it from the short (sprint) end.

I think it's also possible that your cross country team really sucks and the guy is just using the 800 excuse to recruit a few more bodies.

dipwad, he's not going to "destroy his sprinting ability" by putting in some miles.

if distance training destroys sprinting ability, then tell me how all the top 800/1500 guys can run in the 46-48 sec. range for 400m.